Prank or Provocation? Close Call Between U.S. Cruiser & Russian Destroyer

posted by Armstrong & Getty -
Jun 10, 2019

The U.S. Navy reports that a Russian destroyer "made an unsafe maneuver" against a U.S. guided-missile cruiser.

According to the report, the incident took place on June 7th while both ships were operating in the Philippine Sea. At one point, the Russian ship came within 50-100 feet of the USS Chancellorsville.

This unsafe action forced Chancellorsville to execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision. We consider Russia's actions during this interaction as unsafe and unprofessional and not in accordance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), "Rules of the Road," and internationally recognized maritime customs.

The Russian Pacific Fleet claimed that the close call was the fault of the U.S. ship.

One has to wonder--what was the point of putting both crews in jeopardy?